Rabbit's Foot
by JimmyRabbit
Summary: As Judy Hopps once said "Life is more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker." Zootopia is bound for eventual destruction... Since the day she partnered up with a Fox, she has found herself eating her own words. Making mistakes, reaching limitations. How long will it take before circumstances drive both of them to the point of absolute desperation? And at what cost?
1. Chapter 1: Promotion Day

_Author's Note:_

 _Update:_

 _I've been on FanFiction since 2009. I know what I'm doing._

 _Fur the most part._

* * *

 _I decided to try a shot at the Nudy ship thing..._

 _Wow... "nudy"... I already don't like where this is going. Haha._

 _Kidding..._

 _By the way, I don't own Nick and Judy and every other Zootopia character. That's all Disney's._

 _And the picture belongs to Zen. Not me._

 _Enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

 **Promotion Day**

 **Judy Hopps' POV:**

Let me start off by saying... the promotion was unexpected.

Chief Bogo led both me and Nick into his office and sat us down at the chair. He told us he was proud of our work... before he handed me the _tiniest_ bunny sized firearm I've ever seen. A slightly bigger one for Nick. We both stared at the guns before I took mine first.

"Hopefully... you'll never have to use it, Hopps."

"Yes, chief." I said.

"Excuse me, Chief." Nick cleared his throat. "Are you... sure we should have these?"

The chief made a confused face. "Of course I'm sure. Zootopia has more large animals than any other part of the world. To have a Fox and Bunny protecting the city without weapons is a crime in and of itself."

I smiled. "These are... for Self defense only, right?"

"Yes, of course. Just keep in mind, most of the others in the ZPD don't have need for firearms. They survive on their strength and size alone."

"I understand, sir." I said, standing up. "We won't let you down. Thank you." I hopped off the seat and waited for Nick. "Hey, come on, we have a case, remember?"

Nick sighed, his ears going back as he took the firearm in his paw. He gave a polite nod to Bogo as he climbed down from the seat and followed me out.

* * *

I later saw Nick leaning against a wall, looking down at his phone, as if trying to avoid conversation with anybody.

"Officer Hopps." My ear twitched in Clawhouser's direction. "I heard you got promoted! Congrats!" He said with a big smile.

I returned the smile. "Yeah, it's crazy. He gave me and Nick a better chance at defending ourselves. We're not vulnerable anymore."

Clawhouser laughed. "I never thought you were. You probably don't even need the weapon. Haha."

"Well, it's always good to be prepared, right?"

"'Be prepared.'" I heard to my side. It was Nick who said it, but it was rather negative.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"That's the Ranger scout motto." He says, shrugging. "Ha... I suppose they never carried guns."

I started to feel some useless tension on the subject so I changed it. "You texting someone?"

"Yeah, an old friend named Stan..." He sighed, putting the phone back in his pocket. "Come on, let's go. I'll wait in the animobile." He made his way out of the building.

Nick was starting to worry me. I turned to Clawhouser. "We do need to go. I'll buzz you if we need anything."

"Go get 'em Hopps!" He hollered.

* * *

The vehicle roared to life and we were on the prowl.

"Okay, in order to find a predator, you gotta think like a predator." I said to Nick. I pursed my lips. "Hmm... where would a predator try to hide..." I turned to Nick for any possible asnwers. He was just staring out his window.

I rolled my eyes. "Nick, what's your deal? You've been quiet ever since the promotion."

"I never asked for that promotion." Nick said, looking down at his waistline where the firearm was wrapped around him. "I mean, look at this thing. I feel like a monster carrying this."

"You're not a monster, Nick."

"Then WHY do I have to wear it? I already can defend myself just fine."

"It also helps as a warning. You don't have to fire it. You don't even have to take it out. Nobody said you HAD to use it."

"Buffalo Bill said so." Nick retorted.

I turned to him. "Nick, please... if you really don't like it just pretend it's not there."

Nick's eyes widened, "CARROTS!" He yelled.

I turned back to the road and saw a red light with pedestrians crossing. I yelped and slammed on the breaks. It flung both of us forward an inch or two under the seatbelts. Looking back at me were some rather angry faces of several types of animals. My ears drooped and I sighed heavily. "We... are given tools to help us. If we use them for the wrong reasons then YES... that makes us monsters."

Right after I said that I saw something strange... something I don't think I've ever seen before...

Two animals... a Zebra and a jaguar... but they weren't just walking together, they were holding paws... or rather, hoof in paw... and when they were crossing, I could see their eyes light up as they looked at each other, and exchanged conversation. When they reached the other side, I saw an elephant scoff at them, and another animal nudged the Zebra harshly as they passed by. The zebra got irked but the Jaguire put her paw on his cheek... and then...

KISSED HIM?!

I felt like I was going to vomit. I turned away immediately. That is just... ugh! I can't believe that!

"Carrots." Nick spoke.

I looked at him. "Did you not see that! That's gotta be the most... ack! Blach!"

Nick rolled his eyes, "It's a green light." He gestured to the light in front of us... I suddenly felt foolish and I placed my foot back on the gas pedal, sighing.

"See what?" He finally asked.

"Nothing." I said. "Forget it."

Nick shrugged. "Okay."

It was awkwardly quiet after that.

But, there was a different feeling in the air. I couldn't put my paw on it...

"Maybe I should drive." Nick suddenly joked.

I smirked. "That'll be a sight. I've never seen you drive." I then realized... I've never seen Nick drive. "Why don't you drive?"

"Why don't birds use cars? ... Because they can fly."

"That has nothing to do with-"

"I guess you'll never know." He smiled at me, his ears perked up and his green eyed expression made me doubt if he'd EVER tell me.

Oh well... a cop has her ways.

By the way... We never found the killer that night.

* * *

I opened the doors to the ZPD after 11 PM... tired and hungry. "We... found... NOTHING." I said.

Clawhouser's shift was ending as well, and he was getting ready to leave. "Awww." He reached into his box and tossed me a doughnut. "You guys need anything? Coffee?"

I caught it. "Nah, Thanks."

We clocked out for the night, and went to the locker room to change into our normal clothes.

"You really think I got my license revoked, eh?" Nick asked me.

"It's the ONLY logical explanation." I responded, standing behind my locker door, using it to conceal myself as I changed. "But, I always have the computer system to check your background."

Nick walked over to me as I was putting on my jacket. "Ya know, we could handle this the EASY way... or the hard way."

"Or another day." I said. "Or never." I closed the locker door. "Frankly, I can go on living without ever knowing." I gave him a cheeky grin and walked out the door.

Nick looked confused. "Then... why did he have this conversation?"

"Good question!" I yelled back.

* * *

As I was dropping Nick back off to his van he opened the door than stopped... turning back to me. "Ya know, I have to confess something."

"Ah HA! You DID get your license revoked!"

"Oh, you wish." He responded closing the door and sitting back in the seat, crossing his legs. "Actually... it's something else."

My ears lowered a little. "Oh... okay. What's up?"

Nick chuckled. "I actually DID see the couple earlier today... and I should've recorded your reaction." He took out the carrot pen from his pocket.

My ears lowered more, and I made a bit of an angry face. "That's not funny, Nick."

"Not to you." He chuckled, clicking the pen's button. " _That's not funny, Nick."_ He laughed. "Oh, I gotta keep that one."

I facepawed myself. "You done? I'm sure Mr. Tiny pants is waiting inside for you."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you jealous?"

"Wha- No! Get out of here!" I kicked his leg with my right foot. "I gotta get home too, ya know."

Smirking he opened the door. "Alright, Carrots. Alright." As he stepped out of the vehicle he saluted me. "Goodnight, Officer Hopps."

I gave him the best smile I could and tried to be cheerful. "Gooooood Niiiight."

The door closed. He knocked on the van door a secret knock and it opened... I drove off before anything else happened.

On the drive back, I didn't realize just HOW much time I've spent with Nick in the car with me... countless... and the time I've spent alone in this car... maybe... 2 or 3 hours total.

I sighed... it felt different when he wasn't here. It felt... much lonlier.

I admit, I missed him already... even when it was quiet, his presence still emanated some sort of energy that I now lacked.

Boy... I sure am tired. I'm missing someone after mere seconds of him being gone, jeez... give me a break. All I need right now is sleep.

Heading back to my place, I parked The Animobile and went inside.

As usual, the yaks next door were bantering at their usual volume, and I had trained myself to sleep like a rock.

My phone buzzed right as I was going to bed. I looked at it. It was from that darn fox.

 _That's not funny, Carrots._ It said

I smirked, rolled my eyes, rolled over, and passed out.

Night world.

* * *

 _Thank You For Reading!_

 _Comment and follow if you want more!_

* * *

 _P.S._

 _"Nudy Wopps"... that's just a joke. It's gonna be "Wildehopps" from now on._


	2. Chapter 2: The Other Side

_Hey Zoofans, Thank you so much for the support!_

 _I know Chief Bogo doesn't care, but that shouldn't stop me from writing._

 _And yes, MakoKam, My time on Fanfiction doesn't mean I'm a perfect writer. In fact, it means nothing... at all._

 _Yet, here I am._

 _That being said, here's the second chapter._

 _Enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

 **The Other Side**

My thoughts were in complete shambles.

The beating of my heart was painful. It reverberated through my body like punches to the chest.

Did I really just volunteer to watch someone die? How could I have been so utterly cruel?

I tried not to think about it, but the blood stained my very paws. It was clear the only way I could ever hope to dismiss these thoughts was to get out of here... get out of these blood stained clothes.

When I passed everybody in the ZPD, I ignored every last one of them. I knew they saw the blood, and they probably assumed I had done the deed myself. But, nobody questioned it. They may as well have been blurs, because my eyes were fogged with tears.

But, there was one blur I couldn't ignore. A fiery orange and navy blue colored blur... the only one I lifted my head to. His ears were back as he looked at me with his sympathetic green eyes. He said nothing to me, and I said nothing to him. I kept moving... I couldn't stop until I reached my destination. I couldn't bare wearing these clothes any longer. Not after all that's happened in the past 48 hours.

I reached the locker room, and as soon as I was behind a shower curtain I took off every last blood stained piece of fabric I wore. Some of it sticking to my very fur.

The shower handle was a good 2 feet above my head. That was too big of a jump in my current emotional state.

I had to make it nonetheless. It took me 20 seconds to grit my teeth and build my strength to leap up, usuing the wall for support and finally grabbing the handle. I turned it and droped back down just as the water did with me.

I closed my eyes and let the water fall over me. I didn't realize I had left several blood stains on the wall in front of me and the shower handle.

My ears were back and as I looked down at my paws, I saw the water slowly wash away the scarlet fluids... revealing my familier white fur once again.

My eyes closed one last time...

I heard the curtain open behind me, and I knew who it was at that moment... yet my eyes remained closed. "Please..." I said. "Leave me be."

A part of me knew they wouldn't listen. But, I heard nothing after that. When I looked back, the curtain was closed again, and nobody was there.

I was alone... that's what I wanted, wasn't it? To be alone... when I desperately yearned for the comfort of my partner.

Tears began to fill my eyes again, as I felt an unexpected warm paw gently rest upon my shoulder...

* * *

 **3 Days Earlier:**

Bam! Alarm is off.

Whoosh, I'm dressed.

Wee, out the door.

Ah, it's good to be alive.

* * *

I was pretty excited today. I finally saved enough money for a big screen TV. It can go right in front of my bed! It's what I've wanted pretty much my whole life!

I drove the animobile to the "Screen Savers" store and found the perfect screen. It was only 18 by 12 inches, but it was plenty big for me.

"I'll take it!"

Two minutes later I was driving right to Nick's place. I wanted him to watch me set it up. We can watch our first movie together! Then head to work at noon. It was gonna be awesome!

Besides... heh... I needed help carrying the thing.

* * *

We headed up the steps to my place. "Really?" He asked me, carrying the box with much more ease than I did. "I didn't think you were the type."

"Are you kidding? I grew up with television! We had VHS, cable, and a 3 by 5 inch screen." I fiddled to get the keys from my pocket and opened my door.

Nick laughed. "That much to entertain what, 3,000 kids?" He set the box down on a table at the foot edge of my bed.

"Hey, it worked. I would watch that thing for hours on end!" I bit my teeth into the tape and tore it off, opening it.

Nick smiled and rolled his eyes in amusement. "So, what did you wanna watch?"

"I don't know how much TV you watch, but I was thinking maybe a comedy, or a nice sitcom. Like Fur House, or Hannah Savanna."

Nick scoffed. "You ever heard of Game of Thorns?"

"What's that?"

He rested his elbow on the table. "It's not really a show for a cute little bunny."

"Neither is real life." I retorted. "Tell me about these "Game of Thorns..."

* * *

10 Minutes Later:

Nick and I sat side by side on the bed, bored out of our minds... because all we could find was the Morning News.

 _"In other news, more disappearances of deer and other pray continues with no further evidence."_

 _Chief Bogo: "We are doing everything we can to find this carnivorous predator, and bring him to justice!"_

"Ugh..." I slumped down into my bed, rubbing my face in my paws. "They didn't tell me I'd have to pay extra to watch other channels."

Nick pursed his lips. "What do you mean?" He reached over and took the remote from my lap and switched the channel, cutting off the reporter and immediately showing static and snow. "Hey, check it out! A free channel!" He switched it again. More static. "AHA! Another free channel. See, Carrots? It's totally free!"

I turned to him, giving him a stare of disapproval.

"Wait, wait, don't say it..." He reached into his pocket and took out his carrot pen, clicking it. " _That's not funny, Nick."_ He laughed.

I smiled. "Well... I guess we can... just watch... all that snow."

"Hey, it's better than being forced to watch "The Life Story Of Justin Beaver"."

"That's true." I agreed.

After another 10 seconds of the static, Nick switched off the Television. "Hey... you know." He cleared his throat... I knew this meant he was gonna say something serious. "I can help pay for the channels, if you want."

I politely shook my head. "It's my concern to do that, Nick."

"Hey, If I'm gonna be coming over and watching shows with you, why not pay for some of it?"

I thought about it... and... I suppose it couldn't hurt. I turned to him, smiling warmly. "You'd do that for me, Nick?"

"Well... yeah." The fox's ears went back a little, I could tell he was reaching out of his comfort zone to offer.

At that moment, I wanted to kiss him on the cheek to say thank you. I didn't though... I worried he would find that awkward and I didn't wanna do that to him.

* * *

The next several minutes were spent setting up an account on Zoolu, as well as the channels...

Within 15 minutes, I had EVERY television show ever made... right at my claw tips! Ready to watch whenever I wanted to!

I couldn't hold it back, I wrapped my arms around that silly Fox's neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!"

Nick's ears went back and he laughed nervously. "Heh, yeah... of course. No problem."

I let go of him. "I mean it."

"Oh... no doubt." He chuckled. "Now you gotta do something for me."

I laughed. "Anything! You name it, Nick. I'll do it!"

He made a confused face. "Really? ... It was a joke."

My spirits calmed a little. "Well, If you need anything, just holler. Joke or not."

Nick smiled at me, putting a paw on my shoulder. "That'll be the day."

I looked at him, beaming with gratitude. As he looked back at me, I realized we got trapped in a stare... He broke off the eye contact first. "We um... should get going to work."

"It's only 10:45." I told him.

He took out his phone to see the time. "Uh, bunny... I'd hate to disagree with you, but it's 11:45. You gotta change the time on the Television."

I turned to see that he was right. My television clock was an hour behind. I giggled stupidly. "My bad."

I got up and stumbled through my apartment to make sure I had everything and was ready to go. Nick watched me, his ears drooping a little and a concerned look on his face. "Do you need any help?"

"No, no. I've got it." I told him, draping my uniform over my shoulder and heading out the door. After I closed it, I realized I left Nick inside... Haha, woops.

I opened the door again. "Hey, slow poke... you work too, remember?"

Nick cocked an eyebrow. "You sure you're okay?"

"Never better." I told him.

* * *

"You seem awful cheery today." Chief Bogo commented.

"I had a nice dream." I told him.

He put on his glasses and read the assignments. "Did anyone ELSE have any nice dreams last night?"

Nobody, except for one wolf in the back raised his paw.

"Don't care. Anyways, blah blah blah." That's all I heard when he read off the assignments, that is, until he read ours.

The assignment hasn't changed. We are still looking for the killer. The only case with the least amount of evidence, and the most amount of time spent.

* * *

Driving for all of those hours makes one rather eager.

My partner in crime fighting turned to me from the passenger side. "Carrots, I know what you're thinking... but it's gonna have to wait."

I blinked twice, snapping out of my thoughts. "What?"

"Your Zoolu account... You can hear it calling for you, huh?"

"Nick, I was thinking about the case. The case. Remember that? Or what? What are YOU thinking about?"

Nick straightened himself, grinning. "You really wanna know?"

"On second thought..."

"The Animobile... such a dumb name. I always wanted to call it the Crime Cab."

"It's just a name, Nick."

"Carrots is a name, but not your real one."

"Carrots... are just carrots." When I said that, the corner of my eye saw a group of animals all gathered and crowding in one area. Something was going on.

"If you think about it, anything can be a name." Nick said, then also noticed what I had noticed. "What the-"

"That's great, Nick. I'm happy for you." I parked the... vehicle, and got out to go observe the situation closer.

We made our way through the crowds, uttering phrases like, "Excuse me," and "Sorry," and "We're cops, let us through."

When we arrived though, my heart immediately skipped it's rhythm. My ears dropped in shock. The sight before me was horrid, and difficult to look at.

Nick saw it too, and though it shocked him just as much, he was the first to speak. "How did this happen?"

An animal spoke up. "Somebody mauled them! Nobody saw who it was. The body was thrown from a vehicle. A white pickup truck."

Other animals started bickering. Spouting taunts like, "You're the cops! Do something about it!" and "Why are you just standing there!?"

The bloody sight was too much for me, I had to look away. I found myself walking back to the crime cab, as the animals around me started roaring in disapproval. "Don't walk away! We're in danger! DO SOMETHING!"

Their voices grew louder and louder, but I still heard Nick's voice yell my name over it. "Judy, wait!"

I got inside the vehicle and closed the door. I sat there, staring at the steering wheel... trying to catch my breath.

The side door opened. "Hopps, we have to do something about this."

I nodded. "I know." I started the car. "I'm going to check the traffic cameras."

Nick didn't argue. Instead he took a moment and to evaluate my emotional state. "Are you okay?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Let's just... find this monster... before he kills anybody else."

* * *

That night, once again... we came up dry.

Even worse... there were two more pray animals missing.

The only good news is the cameras caught a glimpse of a truck that belonged to a business animal who denied everything when questioned.

I lost my patience. I stood on the table and took out my firearm, pointing it directly at the suit wearing couger's face. "TELL US WHY WE SAW YOUR TRUCK!"

His expression changed. He gulped in fear. "Look, you got the wrong guy! My truck has been with me the entire day! It's probably someone else's truck!"

I lowered the gun and put it back on my belt. "Fine. Get out. You're free to go."

* * *

"What is WRONG with you?" Nick asked me. "He's obviously not the guy we're looking for. You didn't have to point a gun at him!"

"You can't trust anybody's word." I said... then I started to wonder why I just said that. I leaned against a nearby wall, sighing deeply. "We gotta keep looking."

"There were no forensics in his truck, no blood, no hint of a struggle. We had NO evidence to bring him in. If you can't trust his word, you should at least trust the proof!"

"I understand." I said, looking down.

The day was drawing to a close, and I used the remainder of my shift scanning camera footage like mad. I fell asleep at the computer in the process.

"Hopps!"

Bogo's voice startled me into consciousness. "Y-yes, sir?"

I saw him with his arms folded. "Please tell me you found something useful." He said with gritted teeth.

I kept my eyes locked on the screen. "It boggles my mind that someone would just toss a corpse out on the sidewalk like that. I think they're trying to scare the public."

Bogo seethed. "I think I'm gonna have to hand this case over to someone better suited for it. Clearly you don't know what you're doing." With that, he turned around and headed out of the room.

I opened my mouth to protest, but nothing came out... the door closed before I made a peep.

I turned back to the screen and kept searching. I would do this all night if I had to.

* * *

There's only so much one can search for with such a vague lead to follow. I was missing something... something important.

Maybe it didn't matter now. I was most likely off the case at this point.

I started heading back to the crime cab. The day was over and so was my shift.

For some reason, though, I couldn't find Nick. I texted him asking him where he was. I got a response soon after. "Where you are _._ "

When I finally saw him he wore a big grin on his face and his paws were behind his back. "Have I got a surprise for you."

I smirked, trying to peek around and see what he was holding. "It better not be chocolate blueberries again."

"That only happened once, Carrots." He said, as he pulled his paws out and showed me his phone. "Check this out."

I saw an image on his phone, very blurred, and even more disappointing. "Oh... um... is it a ... new phone?"

"I found our guy!" He said delightfully. "Tomorrow we would more than likely find the truck just outside Savanna Central! They even took it to a car wash!" He laughed. "What morons!"

My spirits lifted. "That's great! Wow..." I felt foolish now, knowing I could've searched that part of town more thoroughly. Then I remembered what Bogo said. "Wait... are we still on the case?"

Nick pointed at me with his phone. "Indeed we are! Does 24 hours sound like enough time?"

I smiled. "Plenty."

* * *

 _ **Thank You All For Reading!**_

 _ **Let me know what you think.**_

 _ **Love it or hate it.**_


	3. Chapter 3: Too Close

Chapter 3:  
Too Close

I wasted no time. We were going to find this mauling monster today!

Nick surprised me when he said, "I'm driving."

I looked at him like he was... well, it's just a stering wheel. "It's in your paws, Slick."

We set out to Sahara Square. Nick strapped himself in and started the vehicle. Forget the fact he hardly drives it, he knew where to go better than I did.

"Clawhouser has a guy on traffic cams as we speak." I told him.

"Good." Nick shifted into reverse, pulled out, shifted back, and got on the road. "It's very unlikely they'll get away again, not with that eye in the sky."

* * *

Nick's driving was surprisingly smooth. When we arrived at Sahara Square, we took a few oddball turns, until we reached an apartment complex. We drove around only halfway until finding a truck that very closely resembled the one we wanted to find. White and shining from a very recent car wash.

I squinted my eyes, trying to recall the details. It's relative size and shape seemed acurate. I had to make sure. I slowly exited the vehicle to examine the truck. I climbed into the bed and peeked inside. The back seat looked as if it were stained.

I shined a light inside... sure enough, there was still blood on the seat from yestuday's mauling. THIS was no doubt the right truck.

I got back to the crime cab and closed the door. "Park behind it. This truck isn't going anywhere."

"Hmm, good call." He did as I told him.

"Now... we wait."

Nick leaned the chair back. "So, what do you wanna talk about?"

"Did you see ANY video footage of the animal that drives this thing?"

Nick looked at me. "I'm afraid not. This particular area isn't under survailance."

"Darn."

"But, no worries, Carrots. We'll find them."

As an hour... hour and a half went by, I nearly fell asleep. I woke up to a tap on my shoulder. "Hey, Carrots, check it out." I snapped awake and looked to where he gestured. I found it odd...

The very same black jaguire I saw kissing the zebra the other day... was coming this direction. She suddenly stopped when she saw the cop car. She looked shocked. She was looking directly at the truck in front of us, then at our vehicle.

I had a feeling well up inside of me...

I think... We found our killer.

I stepped out of the vehicle. "Hold it right there! We have some questions."

The leopard immediately ran towards the truck. She used a remote in her paw to unlock it. I jumped up at her, grabbing her other paw. She swung it like lightning, flinging me harshly onto the asphalt. To my horror she started the car and barreled OVER the curb in front of her onto the grass. "AFTER HER!" I yelled towards Nick, getting to my feet and leaping onto the truck. The moment I grabbed the handle to Nick's door, he looked at me like I was crazy. "I said GO!"

After a moment, he gave me a reluctant nod and the vehicle roared to life. I clutched the door handle and pulled myself up, using the rear view mirror as leverage. I hurled myself up onto the top of the vehicle, grabbing the lights (that were now flashing) with my dear life. I took a deep breath and slowly skidded myself towards the passanger side, realizing I could've asked Nick to just roll down his window to let me in. Well, it's a little late for that. I heard him scream. "JUDY!" I knocked on the roof to let him know I was still up there. When I was closer to the passanger side of the roof, I could barely see that the passanger window was already rolled down for me. I tried to think of how I was going to get down there.

"Hang on!" I heard him yell. "Just keep hanging on!"

There was a red light ahead of us. I knew neither the truck, nor Nick was going to stop for it. Until suddenly... the vehicle started coming to a slow. My heart started pounding. "She's getting away!"

"GET INSIDE THE DAMN VEHICLE!" I heard Nick shout.

I used these few seconds to maneuver myself over the open passenger window. I fell inside and landed on the passanger seat, just as Nick pressed his foot harder on the gas. "WHAT... Wh- WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

I shook myself. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"I've never seen you do that before!" Nick spouted.

"Just focus on the truck!" I strapped myself into the seat.

After a few intense moments of pure car chase and no conversation... he asked me. "ARE you okay?"

"You heard me. I'm fine."

"You're insane." He concluded before gaining more speed. So much I had to roll the window back up so my eardrums wouldn't pop.

The truck made a dangerously sharp right turn. Our vehicle followed persuit, and I felt the wieght shift to the driver's side. We lost a bit of speed doing that, and were lucky we didn't topple over. This truck was CLEARLY not going to stop for anything.

I heard my radio go off. It was Clawhouser. "Guys, there's a LOT of moving traffic up ahead at the red light. If you keep going you might have a collision!"

"We'll avoid it." I told him. I turned to Nick. "We're not letting her get away!"

"My thoughts exactly, Carrots."

Another cop vehicle showed up at the next red light. It drove directly in front of the crazy jaguar's truck. It didn't stop her, and the truck veered around the cop car like it was nothing. I gritted my teeth. Now things were getting out of control.

The light up ahead turned yellow. The truck was no where near it, but gained speed anyway. 3 seconds after the light turned red the truck made it to the intersection... along with a much larger vehicle.

Then it happened. Her truck wasn't fast enough... and it impacted the driver's side of the larger vehicle. In front of both me and Nick's eyes, we watched as the terrible collision unfolded. Shattering glass and dented metal strewn all over the road. The truck itself flipped over. My jaw dropped. We were clear from the wreck, but both other vehicles looked horribly bad... I don't know if either driver could've survived it. I grabbed my phone... and with shaking paws I dialed for an ambulance.

The chase was over.

* * *

The jaguar was covered in blood, with several fractures... but still alive. As for the other driver, it was an elderly elephant who had unfortunately been killed.

I guessed it was a suicidal attempt... turning into a homicicdal tragedy. I'm not gonna call this a car "Accident." ... It looked more intentional than anything I've ever seen.

She went into the abulance, and was likely cuffed at her hospital bed. I felt like a horrible creature, letting this happen. I sat there at the hospital as Bogo talked with the Doctors about the situation. My very own words echoed in my head, "Go faster!" and "Don't let her get away." were almost the only things I could hear. ... until my face was buried in my paws. I rubbed my forehead, trying to get the sounds out.

Thinking about it harder... I really was just doing my job wasn't I? I don't know how things could've turned out any differently.

A large hoofed palm was placed on my shoulder. "Hopps. Look at me." I raised my head, my ears back in dread. Cheif Bogo looked sternly down at me. "The jaguar is caught. Nobody else is going to die on her account."

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Good to hear." Considering the fact an innocent civilian died this afternoon...

"You'll be taking the weekend off. Monday I'll start you on a new assignment."

Those words ate me on the inside... it felt like a suspension more than a break. I wanted to capture this jaguar before anything else bad could happen. I can't help but feel like that poor elephant would still be alive if ONE small thing had been different...

* * *

I was clearing out my locker later that afternoon for the weekend. I had only seen Nick once or twice but didn't know what to say to him. I don't feel like we succeeded today, even though... it should've counted as a success. We caught the murderer, but ... I don't think we made the city any safer.

Random enough, as I was changing out of my cop uniform Nick walked into the locker room with one of the wolf ZPD members. I paniced and hid my topless self behind my locker door, almost closing it all the way as I heard them converse.

"Then what happened?" The wolf asked him.

"I had to speed up, right? This is where it gets REALLY crazy. The light ahead of us turned yellow, and the incredulous leopard PICKS UP speed. We're like, still a half mile away. She's gonna run a red light. We all saw it coming."

I shut my eyes tightly. I didn't want to relive this. My clothes were still in my paws, and I continued to take off the remainder of my uniform. For a moment, I was only in my underwear. Heaven help me if Nick ever saw that.

"She barrled directly into an elephant's car. You should've seen it! It was insane! I swear it looked like it was on purpose."

"Wow." I heard the wolf open his locker door. "Why didn't either of you page us?"

"It all happened so fast." Nick said.

I cocked an eyebrow as I looked out one of the locker door slits to see Nick unbuttoning his shirt. "I'm telling you, that jaguar gets off on killing animals. She's probably pulling patients' plugs at that hospital right now!"

"Dude, we should like... go over there. Make sure she's not on the loose."

"Yeah, maybe." Nick took off his shirt. His orange and white furred turso is one I've seen before a few times in here, but he seemed to be getting undressed more casually in front of that wolf then he ever had when I was in here. I couldn't look away. I... don't know why. It was weird.

He loosened his belt. My eyes widened a little... he was going to take off his pants, WHILST giving a conversation. And the worst part... I couldn't look away.

No... I did... but, I looked back a moment later. Some part of me was too curious. I've known Nick for a while now, and seeing him act like this was new for me. Did he ALWAYS undress in front of others so liberally?

I saw his pants come down. He stepped out of the fabric and back onto the tiled floor. He reached down and picked up his pants, tossing it into his locker.

I felt like a pervert watching him. I turned away, scolding myself. Bad bunny! Checking out a naked fox inside a multi-gender locker room. I heard his voice again. His conversation didn't miss a beat. "In fact, what if we finished the job ourselves?"

The wolf's reaction sounded confused. "What do you mean, Wilde?"

My reaction was equally confused. What DID he mean? I had to look out once again.

"I mean, look at this." Nick reached into his locker and took out the firearm that Bogo had given him. "Okay, bare with me. What if I... well, you know? Pulled the trigger on her? Would the Chief fire me?"

The wolf himself started unbuttoning his shirt. "Gee, that's a good question. I mean, she's a murderer. Murdering a murderer shouldn't get you fired."

"Who said I was gonna kill her? I could... heh, I dunno. Slow her down." He went to put his gun back. "It's just theorhetical. I haven't even fired the thing yet."

The wolf's shirt came off. "Hey, you're off tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I could take you to a shooting range."

My eyes widened and my head hit the top of my locker with a bang. "Ow." I peeped.

A shooting range? What the heck IS that? I've never heard of such a thing. That sounded dangerous!

Their conversation was stopped. Nick's eyes went to my locker, and I don't know if he saw mine or not... I think it was too dark. I heard him respond to the wolf. "Sure. I suppose. Just for fun right?"

"Of course." The wolf loosened his belt. "It's just targets and stuff. Though... sometimes I wish they'd put criminals in there." He laughed at that. Nick chuckled... but I wasn't laughing.

Though, I was relieved to hear about the "targets". I thought they shot animals in there.

Nick took his casual pants and stepped into them, pulling them up and concealing his masculinity. I was a bit relieved when he did.

I had sort of seen the wolf as well without clothing, but I didn't pay nearly as much attention to him. Within the next minute they were both in their casual clothes and bidding each other a "See you on Monday." type farewell. The wolf left the locker room, but Nick stopped on his way out. He turned to look at my locker one more time before leaving.

My heart was pounding and I didn't even realize it. Nick must've known I was in here... he probably thought I was spying. I don't know... It was an honest mistake.

I felt the room go quiet again, and I finished getting dressed. I felt a combination of strange feelings at that moment... not just from seeing Nick naked... or the context of the conversation they were having... but from my own judgment of character. My own morals. Was I starting to not care about things? ... I mean, I guess this is a first time I've seen Nick carry an entire conversation with somebody else. I felt like he was branching out, and I was becoming yesturday's friend...

I didn't have time for such thoughts. I left the locker room and headed back to my place. There was a television there waiting for me.

The day was over now. I had to move on... I had no choice.

The least I could do now is try to enjoy the weekend.

* * *

Zoolu had a wide selection of shows for me to watch. My stupidest mistake was turning on a movie that would make me cry my eyes out.

Tailtanic.

Little did I anticipate the raw emotions I'd be feeling when I watched the ship go down, bringing 1,500 mammals with it, and only saving 700.

I clutched my tear soaked pillow tightly in my arms, burying my face every 3 minutes. Eventually I'd have to come back up for air, but when I did, another mammal on screen would drown.

Let me break down the plot, if I may.

A poor 3rd class Doberman named Jack falls in love with a 1st class Husky named Rose. Together they enjoy a forbidden relationship on this luxuriously enormous ship, the Tailtanic. That lasts a good hour and a half, with 2 to go, and here comes the kicker... she takes off her clothes so he can draw her in the nude.

Now, this bothered me for a few minutes, until the ship grazes an ice burg the size of a small Restaurant. This causes the boat's demise, as well as my emotions to go into overdrive. By the time the movie ended, my eyes were red, my pillow was tear-stained, and I wanted to call my mom... and thank her for not being like Rose's mother.

I never, and I mean NEVER had that difficult of a time with movies. I normally was the one who kept my composure, comforting those around me if need be. I wasn't one to cry, but... doggammit, this movie. I can't stress it enough.

I turned off the television, and sat there in silence. Not even the noise from my next door neighbors was heard. Usually that meant they weren't home.

Stepping out of my bed, and placing my feet on the floor, I turned to look out of my window. The city was illuminating with lights and colors from all around me. A sight that would never get old. I opened my window, so I could feel the cool breeze, and hear the sounds of the bustling animals below. It put a small smile on my face.

The smile was a little forced, I'll admit. But, I tried to remain optimistic. Despite the disasters and tragedies of this world, one must decide if they would try to be a hero for others... or just save themselves.

I do understand that the voyage of the Tailtanic was headed for Zootopia. A place striving to become harmonious and safe at the time. The animals that survived were lucky to become a historic part of this city's origin... but the ones that perished...

I sighed, and folded my arms, resting my chin over them as I cast my gaze downwards at my precious city. The music of Tailtanic's theme song would echo in my head through the sound of the breeze. "My heart... will... go on." I whispered to myself.

My eyes closed and I tried to drift away into a pleasant daydream.

Then... sirens.


End file.
